Episode IV: Another Hope
by Da Poka Tuber
Summary: What If Luke had died in the storm trooper attack to his home? Ben would have no reason to go to do whatever he did, and Princess Leia Organa is still Vader's captive. Antony Quer, a rebel trooper, and 25 troops are sent to Coruscant to make base. The Empire has other plans, however. The Rebellion must use Antony to the fullest. Rated M for Violence and Minor Coarse Language.
1. Prologue

_A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..._

What if Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker, never bought R2-D2? Since he had C-3PO, the Storm Troopers still blew up his house, killing all within. Obi-Wan Kenobi is still on Tatooine, forever hiding.

Antony Quer, Rebel Sergeant, and 25 troops are on Coruscant. Their mission is to make a base, so the Empire can't take it. Antony can, unknowingly, use the Force. He must use this power to destroy the Empire, restore peace to the Galaxy, and bring balance to the Force...


	2. Chapter I: A Jedi withing the Troops

**For those who read this Fanfic before Friday, December 15 I combined some of the chapters. Felt they were too short. Sorry! Also, I am writing a version of this in Google Docs, and I'm hoping to get this published. So if the chapters don't come out as fast, it's because i'm writing longer ones.**

Name: Antony Quer

Gender: Male

Rank: Sergeant

Serves Under: Alliance High Command

Location: Core Worlds; Corusa Sector; Coruscant Subsector; City Ruins

Mission: To Make Base on Coruscant Ruins

Commanding: 25 Troops

Remaining Troops: 25

Antony gripped his gun tightly in his hand, paining it slightly. He released the pressure, soothing his aching hand. He had been on Coruscant for the past week, searching through the ruins for anything dangerous about the planet, and if it was adequate to make a base upon. Antony's group of 25 soldiers neared the city, or what was left of it at least. After the Clone Wars, Coruscant became a war planet, eventually taken by the Empire. All the beatuful cities were left to whittle away to nigh, though. Only a small while ago had the Alliance Command seen fit to take it back for a base.

"We will need a search group, first, to see how the planet fares after the Clone Wars. It is not yet decided, but most of the Command votes toward Sergeant Antony Quer for the mission," Mon Mothma had explained during the meeting two weeks ago. It had taken most of the first week to prepare the troops, and Antony, until they finally made the short voyage.

"Sergeant, I see someone at the City Ruins," Jerl, one of the men standing beside Antony, said, pointing towards what remains of the city. It took Antony a second to respond, as he was lost in thought.

Antony peered through his macrobinoculars where Jerl was pointed. Sure enough, a figure with green body armor stood, surveying his surroundings. "Very well, we shall have a look towards it," Antony concluded. "You have a sharp eye."

"Thank you, Sir," But it wasn't Jerl's eye that had seen the man. It was the force, for he was trained at a young age to use it. He had disguised himself as a trooper for the mission. He had a bad feeling about it.

"Everyone, we are city-bound. Pack up, let's go," Antony raised his voice for the group to hear. They nodded.

It had taken them the rest of the day, but by sun-down they had reached the city. The man had made camp in a small, standing building.

"Don't fire until I give the signal," Antony whispered.

His gun raised, he slowly approached the building. It was made out of a Durasteel-Brozinium-Concrete mix for sturdy walls. The metal cried out in protest as he stepped on the stairs.

 _He's heard me,_ Antony thought, cursing to himself.

Opening the door, Antony said with a desperate tone, "Is anyone in there?""

A clear, an oddly light, sounding voice rang from the inside. "Yes."

"Who are you?" Antony dared to step inside.

"Are you with the Rebellion?" The man said, ignoring his last question.

"I, indeed, serve under the Alliance Command," Antony stated professionally.

"Good. I can pick up the other half of my bounty now."

The man jumped up and tackled Antony, startling him. His armor was a rich green, and the headpiece was connected to a jetpack on his back. A gun with a short and stout barrel, which oddly resembled a lightsaber, was in his hand. Antony jumped back when the man's finger coiled around the trigger, like a snake would it's prey.

The trigger was pulled back, releasing a bolt the length of a lightsaber blade. Antony ducked with inhuman speed, the bolt barely missing his cap. It , instead, flew right in and out of a soldier behind him. The corpse didn't hit the ground before Antony shot his gun at the most-likely-Mercenary. It missed, and the Mercenary shot his gun again. Antony rolled and jumped out of the way of the shot. He fired four more times before repeating the process. His soldiers fired as well, to no avail.

Jerl, suddenly, zipped off his jacket, revealing a mud-brown tank top. Bolts seemed to stray away from him as he did this.

Next came his pants, which were hiding a pair of shorts underneath. A gray object hung to his belt, barely noticeable in the sunset.

"Jerl?! What in g-" Antony began, but a bolt flying at him forced him to stop.

"Trust me," He said, then grabbed the gray cylinder from his belt. He pressed and held down the button that was right in front of his index finger. A beam of plasma emitted from the top. \

It was a lightsaber.

It was light green, casting shadows the same color. Antony stared at it for a few seconds before he again realized he was still fighting a Mercenary.

The Mercenary turned his gun so that the barrel was facing towards the sky, and hit a button that ignited a permanent sky blue blade. The gun/lightsaber was black, so the blue went well with it.

Antony suddenly felt something inside him grow, like a burst of energy that he could control. He wanted to destroy the Mercenary, crush his bones like a cracker in the fist of a child.

The power suddenly rushed up to his brain, and he felt as if the world rotated around him. Everything he wanted he could do. Move a boulder? Easy. Make bolts turn direction? Like he'd been doing it all his life. The world was his, his to control at his every whim. Antony gasped as he felt it, like he had been put in a god's position. Everything was identifiable, everything was his.

He realized he could do what he wanted to do. So, he made an imaginary paper out of the Mercenary, and crumpled it like a bad drawing. His durasteel armor bent, cracking when it needed to. The armor stood no chance against his power, like a marshmallow standing against a fire. He wanted to do everything he could with this.

He made the remaining buildings fall, like a lego tower. He caught and flung away bolts from

him like baseballs, made sand twirl, and was ultimately in control. But then, like it came, it was gone. The feeling of power left his heart, and everything resumed its position. It was an unsatisfying feeling, losing the power. But he had felt it! He knew it would return, when he needed it, in this he was confident. For now, however, he returned to the now.

The Mercenary's armor lie in a heap of scrap durasteel, a green blotch on the white of the dirt canvas underneath. The man underneath had already took off running.

Jerl looked at him, jaw dropped. "What was that?!" His face was of complete and total shock, like someone had revealed all his loved one's were dead.

Antony stuttered for words, his mind jell-o. "I-I don't k-know."

"We haven't the time! Comeon, he's working for the Empire! We need to follow him!" Jerl started towards the path the Mercenary left. Out of the original 25, 8 minus Jerl, remained.

The Mercenary turned back and fired at the group, killing one. Antony grimaced at the low numbers.

The Mercenary ran towards the outskirts of the city ruins, towards a spherical ship. The front half was glass, while the rest was durasteel. It started to take off, but Antony jumped.

Normally, he would have missed, but the Force empowered his legs, allowing him to jump up to the button with ease. He was hanging by a small durasteel rod, probably for the Astromech droid that was supposed to be poking out the top of the ship.

Unknowingly using the force, Antony swung his feet so they were touching the bottom of the ship. He pushed off and swung towards the cockpit of the ship. He landed on the top, dazed by the acrobatics needed for the maneuver.

After initial shock, he got down to business. Tapping into the force for a second, he crushed the absolute tip of the sphere, letting him in. Once he dropped, the cockpit shot off the main ship, like an escape pod. Antony jumped, and time seemed to slow. His hand brushed the side of the enclosed cockpit, but he missed. He began to fall, towards a large pile of stone.

But it wasn't a pile of stone; It was what remained of the Jedi Temple.


	3. Chapter II: The Getaway to the Empire

Name: Darth Vader, Formerly Anakin Skywalker

Gender: Male

Rank: Sith Lord

Serves Under: Emperor Palpatine

Location: First Death Star

Mission: N/A

Vader's raspy breathing, something he had come to ignore, overpowered the sound of footsteps behind him. Through the Force, however, he knew Grand Moff Tarkin was approaching him.

 _Updates about the Coruscant Mercenary, I suppose_ Vader would have sighed if he could.

"Lord Vader?" Tarkin said behind him. Vader technically couldn't hear him, as his "ears" were replaced by sensors. They gave him meaning, directly to his brain. Never will he hear the same. This was one of the many transformations that came with his midnight black appearance.

"Yes?"

"The Mercenary on Coruscant failed," Tarkin paused. "However, he is not dead. He has escaped. What sh-"

"Send a supply ship. Bring him back to the Death Star. I want one of our best pilots manning the ship, do you hear me, Tarkin?" Vader's voice was one of unforgiving pain. That, too, was something that came with the package.

"I do, Lord Vader. I will send one right away. What should we do with the Rebels? A Jedi has been detected among them," Tarkin nodded.

"Bring the Jedi to me. Kill the rest, for they are of no use to us," Vader emphasized on "no". The vocabulator was excellent at detecting voice changes, but it could never truly match Vader's human voice.

"Is that all, Lord Vader?"

"Yes. Now go with haste. The more time we lose, the more chance of the Jedi returning to the Rebellion."

Name: Everet GaJar

Gender: Male

Rank: Mercenary

Serves Under: Galactic Empire, Currently

Location: Atmosphere of Coruscant

Mission: Return to Death Star

Everet sighed in relief when the Rebel Sergeant fell away from the Cockpit/Escape pod. He slouched in the chair, relaxing his tense muscles. His armor was lost, and it was a sad one. The Sergeant was something else…

His line of thought was cut off by a notification.

"An incoming transmission from the Death Star, huh? Put 'em on," Everet gulped. Vader would be livid with his failure, and his way of taking out his anger usually resulted in someone's death.

A transparent, blue apparition of Darth Vader appeared above a small metal circle known as a transmitter.

"You have failed," Vader observed, keeping a calm demeanor. A light blue line rippled through his image.

"Yes… The Rebel Sergeant was powerful, though," Everet sighed.

"Powerful?"

"He used the force! Bent my armor like a piece of paper! Couldn't shoot him, the bolts strayed away from him." Everet let Vader comprehend the information before saying, "Killing two force users wasn't in the job description!"

"I understand this," Vader's tone turned to an agitated one, "But you should not rely on it. I have sent an Empirical Supply Ship to your coordinates. Stay where you are."

"I will try. My ship can shoot the cockpit off like an escape pod, so I'm there. The Rebel Sergeant fell trying to catch me, though. I think he's dead."

"A shame. He could have been of some use. Very well, at least you slowed the Rebel's attempts for the base on Coruscant. For this, you will be payed."

Everet suppressed a, "Yes!".

"Though I will pay 2000000 Empirical Credits for another job. Will you accept?"

He cursed. This was the cache for being payed in full. He didn't really have a choice, so he said, "Of course."

"Good. My ship should be here any moment. I shall see you soon." Vader's imagine faded, leaving Everet seeing through the light in the cockpit that came back on.

"This will be fun," He sighed as he left the atmosphere of the planet.

Name: Antony Quer

Gender: Male

Rank: Sergeant

Serves Under: Alliance High Command

Location: Core Worlds; Corusa Sector; Coruscant Subsector; Jedi Temple Ruins

Mission: Kill Mercenary Everet GaJar

Commanding: 25 Troops

Remaining Troops: 1

Antony almost fainted as the Jedi Temple drew nearer. It struggled to keep conscious, and did. When the Temple was almost upon him, he rolled to break his fall. He could feel the Force rush through him to try to save him.

It succeeded.

The roll left his sides and legs weak, but he survived. An involuntary groan escaped him.

" _H-Hello? Sergeant Antony? Antony can you hear me?"_ Jerl's voice erupted from a communicator in his pocket.

"J-Jerl? Yeah, I'm here…" Antony groaned.

" _Where are you? I saw you jump up to the ship, jump on top, but I couldn't see you after that,"_ Jerl sounded worried.

"I'm at the Jedi Temple ruins… you?"

" _Heading there. I can see it. I'll be there soon. Did the Mercenary escape?"_ Crunching grass followed his voice.

"Yeah… Get here soon, I'm dyin'" Antony chuckled.

" _Don't joke like that,"_ There was an usual serious tone in Jerl's voice.

"Fine, fine. Just hurry up."

" _Will do,"_ The transmission cut out.

 _Now what?_ Antony thought. What could a person do, lying on the ruins of the Jedi Temple?

Five minutes later, Jerl showed up in the ship that brought them to Coruscant. It was a Shuttle SW-0608. After stealing the Death Star plans, it was renamed Rogue One. Antony jumped up into the cargo area, with a boost of the force. We met up in between these areas.

"We need to get into the planet's orbit. The Mercenary left the atmosphere," Antony reported. Jerl nodded.

"I'll take the guns, you pilot," Jerl suggested. Antony was kind of thrown off by this, as he expected Jerl to want to pilot it.

"'Kay."

"''Kay'?! ''Kay' Is all I get?! God, we're doomed," Jerl muttered as he made his way to the gunner's area.

Antony strolled over to the pilot's seat, sighing in awe that it was his. He sat down on the leather-covered seat, saying to himself, "This is right…"

He picked up the shining, golden com that laid on the controls. He put the long bar against his forehead and secured it snuggly behind his ears. The microphone rested on his left cheek.

"This is Captain Antony Quer, Jerl are you ready?" Antony said into his com.

" _Yes I am, sir,_ " Jerl adjusted his com after he finished speaking, producing a scratching sound on Antony's end.

"Then let us be off!" Antony smiled as he pulled up on the yoke, causing the ship to aim towards the sky. With a slight push of a button, the engines shot them towards the blue sky.

" _Did I ever tell you why you didn't pilot this ship the first time around?_ " Jerl's shaky voice came over the com.

"No, I suppose not. Why?" Antony applied more speed to the ship, quickening it towards it's destination. He could hear Jerl hit his head on the wall beside him.

" _Because you suck,_ " Jerl apprehensively admitted.

"Shut up," Antony grinned. Once they reached orbit, Antony could see the ship.

"Do you have sight of the ship?" Antony asked Jerl, referring to the guns, not his eyes.

" _I have sight, positive,_ " Jerl reported.

"You may fire at will," The second Antony gave the command, red blaster-fire emitted from a place that Antony couldn't see, though he knew where it was. The red plasma bolts flew across the empty space, like a red shooting star.

They hit an invisible object a few meters away from the opposing ship. Though it made no direct damage, Antony knew it was a good shot.

" _Direct hit, sir. Deflector shields are damaged, and will soon be non-existent,"_ Jerl reported smugly.

"Good. Continue fire. Make sure they can't make the jump to hyperspace," Antony could almost see the confusion in Jerl's eyes. "It's an Imperial ship; They could only be going back to the Death Star. It would be fatal to let them escape."

" _Yes, sir._ "

They continued like this for 10 minutes, the Rogue One firing at the Combatorial-Imperial-Skyhopper, until Jerl's voice came over the com.

" _Sir, they are sending us a transmission. Should we answer?_ " Why would they be sending a transmission? To negotiate peace? Unlikely.

"Put them on."

" _Yes, sir._ "

A blue ghost of the Mercenary appeared over the gray disk. "I am Everet GaJar. I would like to tell you one thing: See ya later, suckas'!" Just as Everet stopped speaking, the ship jumped to hyperspace.

Antony harshly cursed under his breath. "Jerl, where are they headed?"

" _The only place they could be,"_ Jerl smiled.

"T _h_ e _D_ ea _t_ h _S_ t _a_ r" They said at the same time.

"Follow them."


	4. Chapter III: A failure in Vader's eyes

Name: Darth Vader, Formerly Anakin Skywalker

Gender: Male

Rank: Sith Lord

Serves Under: Emperor Palpatine

Location: Death Star

Mission: N/A

Vader had resumed his position at the window of the command center on the Death Star. Tarkin had been getting reports about the Mercenary they hired for the past hour, so Vader had been unoccupied.

He watched the TIE-Fighters zip in around the Death Star, on their patrol. Vader had ordered some of the scientist on the Death Star to create a superior to the TIE-Fighter, as they were without protection. No recent reports had come up about the new ships.

An incoming transmission notification drew his attention to the man who sat in front of the transmitter. The man answered, paying no attention to Vader.

"It's for you, Lord Vader," The man stuttered, trembling as he came close to the powerful Sith Lord.

"Thank you," Vader dismissed the man back to his station with a flick of his hand. The man sat back down as Vader peered at the person who made the transmission.

Everet was sitting in a chair, looking at Darth Vader with a look of despair.

"As you probably already know, the Skyhopper and the Rogue One are headed straight for the Death Star. I'm coming for my pay."

"You shall find none," Vader hissed, his vocabulator emitting the sound of venom in his voice. "You are a working part of the Empire. Murder is not tolerated, unless of Rebel uprisings. You shall not return to the outer rim, or anywhere not within in the reach of the Empire. You work for me, and Palpatine," Vader emphasized on his and his master's name. Today was not a good day.

"You cannot force me to-" Everet began.

"I can and will enforce this. You will be a part of the Empire, whether you like it or not. You will die otherwise," Vader would have smiled if he could under the mask at his unforgiveness.

Everet eventually submitted, letting it go.

"Now, I want you to bring the ship to the Death Star. I shall deal with it as I see fit," Vader commanded. Everet sighed, then nodded. The transmission ended. Vader shook his head. Some people…

Name: Everet GaJar

Gender: Male

Rank: Mercenary

Serves Under: Galactic Empire

Mission: Bring the Rogue One back to the Death Star

Everet told the pilot to slow back to realspace so he could combat the ship.

"Coming into realspace. The Rogue One is slowing,as well," The pilot reported.

"Fine. Open the supply hatch, but keep the barrier. I want to attack them directly," Everet grabbed his black weapon, that had killed many. He had found it in the remains of the Clone Wars, and kept it in remembrance of his father. His father was a Jedi of the order, but not a master. He had died in Order 66, when the clones turned on him.

Everet had used the kyber crystal from his father's lightsaber to make a gun/lightsaber hybrid that he used now, the beautiful thing it is. Even though he wasn't supposed to make attachments, his father still fell in love with a woman, and they had a child. It was Everet.

The supply door opened, but a transparent blue wall stayed. If it didn't, Everet would be sucked into the vacuum of space, and die due to lack of oxygen. Or freeze first. Probably the latter.

The Rogue One had a supply door, as well, but they didn't have the advanced weapons Everet did.

A long rifle with an attached scope lie a few feet away from where Everet stood. Why not? He asked himself, while walking over and picking up the rifle.

After a few seconds, Everet had set up his little station; It consisted of the sniper rifle in front of him, the lightsaber gun, and a few other small blasters, just in case.

He aimed his rifle at the opening door. Within, he knew the Jedi or Rebel Sergeant stood there, armed with a blaster ready for his death. The blue door did give Everet air, but it didn't protect him from bolts.

As he expected, the Jedi swung around the corner, lightsaber ignited. His other hand held a basic blaster, aimed at him.

Everet, without hesitation, lowered his head down so he was eye level with the scope.

Down the scope, Everet could see a crossbar, and it's center point was the Jedi's chest. He fumbled for a second for the trigger, then pulled it.

The red bolt flew forth from the barrel, which got progressively a lighter shade of black to gray to white.

The Jedi deflected the shot with his lime-green blade, sending it flying elsewhere. Everet cursed, then fired again. The two ships flew in sync, so one wouldn't hit another. If he wasn't trying to kill someone, Everet would have admired the pilot who flew the Rogue One. He had skill. Too bad he had to die.

A man in a leather jacket, leather pants, and a short blaster stepped out, with his gun aimed right at Everet.

Speak of the Devil that's him, Everet cursed. Who was piloting the ship?

A plan rushed into his head. "Do a backwards flip, to get behind the-" He shouted into his com, but it was too late. The pilot jumped, a rebreather on his mouth. A light blue bubble surrounded him, protecting him from the death-cold of space.

I-Is that the force? God, he's powerful, Everet grabbed his blaster/lightsaber, preparing his muscles for the tense battle.

The Pilot landed in the supply hanger a moment later, his face showing as much surprise as Everet's. His eyes were open wide, revealing sky blue eyes. His jaw was dropped, complementing the eyes.

"Impressive. Unfortunately, it is time for your end," Everet aimed at the pilot. His index finger coiled around the trigger, savoring every moment.

Then he shot.


	5. Chapter IV: Confrontation

Name: Antony Quer

Gender: Male

Rank: Sergeant; Pilot

Serves Under: Alliance High Command

Location: Unknown

Mission: Kill Everet GaJar

Time seemed to slow. The red bolt streaked across the space between the two men, but slower than normal.

Antony felt the Force built up inside him, the same power he felt back on Coruscant, like he was a dam, with water waiting to be released. He threw out his arm, fingers outstretched. The bolt slowed, then eventually came to a stop. It just sat there, like a dog on a bench. Antony almost giggled at how unusual it was.

Everet raised his gun a second time, but Antony could react faster. His time was slowed for the moment.

Antony's hand curved around an invisible object when he closed it to a fist. The bolt. He drew back his arm, fast in comparison to how slow the world was around him. Then, like a baseball, he flung it forward, releasing it from the grip of the Force.

Time rapidly came back to normal speed, until it was normal. The bolt hit Everet's blaster, turning the once deadly weapon to a paper weight. A burning paper weight, but a paper weight nonetheless.

Everet looked at his burning paper weight with sadness in his eyes before throwing it behind him.

" _The engine's been damaged, the engine's been damaged! We're gonna' crash on Dantooine! I'm closin' the supply hatch!"_ Everet's com screamed. _The pilot, most likely,_ Antony thought.

Everet payed no mind to the warning. Instead, he ran for a small box that was lying next to a sniper rifle. Out of it, he pulled out a bracelet, and a long metal bar.

He slipped the bracelet on, and instantly Antony could feel force power emanating from him. _Wait a second… I can feel him! I must be Force-Sensitive._

Everet must have seen the look in Antony's eyes, because he called, "Force emulating bracelet."

 _That's a thing?!_ Antony screamed in his head. He was also surprised that, even though Everet was trying to kill him, he still had the decency to tell him that.

The long metal bar had a red button on the side, looking like a cherry. Everet's finger pressed it, and something amazing happened.

Two orange lightsaber blades shot out of the ends of the bar, but they also had cross bars for each blade. It was stunning, seeing the bright lightsaber in the dark of the cargo area. Also the fact that such lightsaber existed was cool, too.

"Now, before we duel, I would like to announce we're about to crash, and maybe die," Everet said it as though he was talking about a park.

The door that Antony had jumped through closed. The metal came down with a crash, like it was an old ship. It was just the Pre-Golden-Era-of-Architecture-Metal being the Pre-Golden-Era-of-Architecture-Metal it is, though.

The ship started to shake as they entered the atmosphere, and Antony was scared the ship wasn't prepared for the atmosphere, but it held.

Name: Jerl Clouse

Gender: Male

Rank: Posing as Private Second Class; Jedi Padawan/Knight

Location: Atmosphere of Dantooine

Mission: Help Sergeant Antony Quer

 _Before coming back into realspace…_

" _Follow them,"_ Antony said with a sense of finality.

After a few seconds of hyperspace, Jerl noticed the CISH (Combatorial Imperial Skyhopper) started to slow.

"Sir, the ship is coming back into realspace, if we continue our current speed, we'll fly right through them, and we'd probably blow up. I recommend we slow, as well.

Without a word, the ship slowed. Jerl wondered what the CISH could be doing. Why would it sl-

Jerl's line of thought was broken by the cargo area of the opposing ship opened, revealing the Mercenary behind a light blue energy shield. It made his black hair look slightly lighter, a nice touch to compliment his already dark blue clothes.

The door to their cargo area, where the original 25 troops stayed, opened with a blue shield. It protected him from space's many fatalities.

Jerl admired the Mercenary's style, his clothes and black hair. While Jerl sat lost in thought, the Mercenary was setting up a sniper rifle on the edge of the floor. Jerl, after a second, realized what he was doing.

He whipped out his own lightsaber. The second Jerl stabbed his finger on the cherry red button, a lime-green plasma blade shot out of the top. It shone in the darkness of space, casting a green glow inside the ship.

The Mercenary shot at Jerl, after a few seconds of fumbling. Jerl, letting the Force guide him, deflected the shot. The Force guided his limbs, bringing them where they needed to go in order to keep Jerl alive. One slight muscle movement could screw up the guidance of the Force, killing Jerl, and the Jedi order. No other Jedi was known to live Order 66, except Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he was never seen after his battle with Darth Vader on Mustafar.

The ship seemed to stop, so did the CISH. Why were they stopped?

Jerl's concentration was interrupted by Antony running up beside him. "Antony?! Who's piloting the-" Jerl started. Antony didn't seem to hear him. A wave of the Force seemed to gather around Antony as he ran for the shield.

"Antony, no!" Jerl screamed, but it was too late. Antony jumped, leaving the protection of the the shield. The Mercenary stood, dumbfounded. The Force had bubbled up around Antony, but it wasn't the Force's doing; Antony was controlling the Force, fueling it with anger and energy.

 _Better teach him otherwise, else he'll turn to the Dark Side. I've seen how powerful he is, and if he used it for the Dark Side, we would be finished. He would confront the Rebels directly, and end us._ Jerl thought, ignoring the lightsaber duel going on between Antony and the Mercenary. _15 years, all for nothing. Because I didn't say otherwise. I can change the universe forever. I tell him about the Light Side,_ Jerl stopped his thinking for a moment. He could change the universe! … _the Rebellion succedes. Or continues fighting, at least. I don't tell him and let him turn to the Dark Side… I, and any other Jedi out there, die. I die, they die. They aren't part of the Rebellion, and after our destruction, they couldn't start another one. They would do nothing, which is ultimately dying. I must tell him._

Out of the corner of his eye, Jerl saw the Mercenary shoot a bolt that flew past Antony. At first, he payed no mind to it, but it ended up hitting the ship. The engine! It hit the engine! _They're going to fall! Die!_ Jerl panicked. He predicted right, and the ship started to go down towards the atmostphere of… Jerl couldn't tell where.

But he looked down, and to his horror he saw his home planet.

Dantooine.


	6. Chapter V: News 'n Combat

Name: Darth Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker

Gender: Male

Rank: Sith Lord

Location: Death Star

Mission: N/A

Grand Moff Tarkin walked up behind Vader, and stood beside him. The once dark-brown hair Tarkin used to own had turned silver-white. It fit under his dark gray imperial cap, quite nicely in Vader's opinion. Vader had lost his own hair on Mustafar, not that it would matter; his head was covered by the helmet.

"How fares our new recruit?" Vader asked Tarkin. Vader's hand brushed the lightsaber at his waist when he adjusted his arm. He hadn't ignited the blade since he first did, showing it to his master, Darth Sidious.

"No reports, Lord Vader, though the ship we sent has been tracked to Dantooine. The pilot is unresponsive. We believe he is dead," Tarkin's eyes flicked to the right to see how Vader reacted. Vader starred out the window, seeing but not seeing.

"What should we do, Lord Vader?" Tarkin had noticed a desperate tone in his voice during the beginning, and it was fixed by the end.

Vader pondered the question for a few moments. "Nothing. If he succeeds, we have earned ourselves a strong troop," Vader paused for dramatic effect.

"If he doesn't, then he is weak, and his death was for the better."

A stormtrooper overheard Vader say this, and started to sweat and move away quickly.

Tarkin internally chuckled.

Name: Antony Quer

Gender: Male

Location: Dantooine

Rank: Sergeant

Mission:Kill or Recruit Everet GaJar

Everet's lightsaber flew towards his chest.

Antony had read somewhere that before you die, the world seems clearer. Every detail you never would have noticed before, you see now.

Antony noticed the deep orange in the lightsaber had a single streak of red running down the middle. Sparks, previously just a blur of light, seemed to fly across his vision, drawing attention to themselves. _So this is how the world looks like, truly_ , were Antony's supposed last thoughts.

But Everet held back. The lightsaber stopped right in front of his chest, the heat being produced from it almost unbearable that close to his skin. "Vader told me to take the Jedi alive…"

"He's dead now, so I guess I'll take you," Everet stated. Antony's lightsaber still shone in his hand, almost screaming at him,"Use me!"

Everet wrapped his hand over Antony's, and slowly took the plasma weapon away from him.

Off in the distance, Antony nor Everet noticed, a green lightsaber ignited to kill a foe. It swung through the air sideways, obliterating whomever was there.

Antony tapped into the Force, using it's awesome abilities, and simply sighed.

The Force turned the sigh into a gust of wind, and from there a mini storm. It flew at Everet, and he tapped into his own Force. His wasn't very strong, far from it, but it was concentrated. It's one, single, thought was this:

"Kill him."

Antony lept into the air, flying at least six feet. He came down with a crash, and his ankles started to give out. He fought the pain, and stood. A cloud of dust disintegrated into the air behind him. The orange lightsaber flew into his hand.

The blade ignited, but Antony didn't even glance at the orange crackling beam of plasma. He simply strided over to Everet, who held up his own lightsaber. Antony gritted his teeth as he realized that he would have to fight him again. _Not again…_

Name: Jerl Clouse

Gender: Male

Rank: Jedi Knight/Padawan, posing as Private Second class.

Location: Dantooine

Jerl came to in a dark room. He sat in a corner, durasteel bars keeping him locked in. The cold bronzium he sat on chilled his legs.

A woman stood on the opposite side of the bars, beautiful brown hair running down her cheeks, ending at her right shoulder. Her eyes were a beautiful dark blue, that were on either side of her not-too large nose. It wasn't thick, but slender and small, complimenting her slanting sides of her head.

Jerl almost forgot she just kidnapped him. Her eyes… he could lose himself in her eyes, and never return for air.

Jerl stood up, his legs oddly weak. His lightsaber was nowhere to be found, but he knew someone cleverly hid it out of sight.

"Who are you?" Her voice was smooth, clear and light.

"I-I'm Jerl," He stuttered.

Jerl's lightsaber caught his eye. It sat on a table, the now-dusty metal wasn't shining, so it was hard to see. The Force slipped through arm, into his hand. It reached out, past the woman, and brushed against the metal. He seized it, and brought it to him. The lightsaber almost hit the woman's head when it flew past her.

It fell into his hand, he pressed and held the button.

The familiar lime-green blade sprung forth from the tip, and illuminated the room. In the green light, Jerl now saw the heaps of bones. The skeletons lay in jumbled heaps, in awkward positions as if someone tried to move them, but gave up.

Desperation flooded the woman's eyes, the beauty of her eyes enhanced by this. Jerl almost melted at the site, but stayed strong. "Please, spare me! I'm only a delivery girl!" Now that she said it, she was a girl. About Jerl's age of 17. Almost a woman.

"I don't plan on killing anyone. Just unlock the door," Jerl convinced the frightened girl. She nodded, too afraid to do anything else, and drew the key from her pocket. In one motion, she stuck it in the keyhole and turned the medal rod.

The door swung open with a _Creak!_ , letting Jerl out. "Where are we?"

"Two miles east from you last remembered," The girl said proudly, as if it was a great feat to know the information.

"Get me out of here," Jerl commanded.

"Y-yes sir," She stuttered.

"What is your name?"

"Auspa, sir. Auspa Zarmer."


	7. Chapter VII: Escape, Fighting, Crashing

Name: Jerl Clouse

Gender: Male

Rank: Jedi Padawan/Knight, Posing as Private Second Class

Location: Dantoine

She didn't even consider that the information could hurt her. She then turned, and motioned for him to follow.

They made their way down the corridor that was right of the cell.

In the cell to the right of his, an Iktotchi sat in the corner. His horns went down to his shoulders, an ugly scowl on his face. Jerl's lightsaber was still ignited, but he was intimidated by the alien's face nonetheless.

They continued past the cell, onto the next. Now, Jerl tried to look away from the aliens that were contained within the cells. They freaked him out too much.

Auspa turned left at a cross in the halls. The corridor that they just exited had a sign on the door frame that read, "Narvath Sector."

The next corridor frame sign read, "Corusca Sector." That meant humans would be here.

Jerl dared to look at the slaves.

The first cell contained a Taung, a gray-skinned war alien native to Coruscant. The entire race moved to Madalore, but the person in charge of organizing the slaves must have put them in their native planets. The Taung, after seeing Jerl and his lightsaber, stood up. He easily towered over Jerl by about .8 meters. Jerl had to look up just to see his eyes, which were glowing yellow little slits. The Taung grunted before returning to its previous position.

The next cell contained a small human child. The boy barely looked ten. Blonde hair hid his face, and a tattered tunic he wore. Small shorts reached down a centimeter below his knees, freezing them. Jerl felt bad for the child, and looked away.

Eventually, Auspa exited the corridor.

"Where is your boss?" Jerl asked, still scarred from the slaves.

"He is in the room to the right of here, sir," She sounded confused. "Why would you want to visit him?"

"To give him a piece of my mind," Jerl muttered as he followed her directions. The door to the room was dark brown, so he figured he could destroy it.

He spun the lightsaber once so the blade faced behind him, then raised his arm. Jerl let it fall a bit, sinking into the door. Auspa yelped as he did so.

Within, a man screamed. Jerl carved a hole in the metal, which eventually fell forward into the room.

A fat man in a business suit sat in a chair, next to a Vulptereen. It's long snout strongly reminded Jerl of a boar.

The fat man screamed again, his voice deep yet pathetic, and shouted, "Uhghar! Attack!" The Vulptereen apprehensively drew a blaster from its holster. Uhghar fired at Jerl, who easily deflected the shot.

Jerl threw the Vulptereen on the ground, not harming him, and strided towards the fat man.

The man screamed, "Security!" but Jerl lopped off his head before any other orders could be given. _As a Jedi I swore never to kill… What's come over me?_

Name: Antony Quer

Gender: Male

Rank: Sergeant

Location: Dantooine

Antony sighed, and leapt at Everet. Everet blocked the blow, then drew something from a pouch on his belt. It was spherical, shiny, and very powerful.

Everet flashed the sphere, and Antony gasped. It was a thermal detonator, a type of bomb that could destroy Jabba's palace!

Everet squeezed a button on the side, which produced a,"Beep,". A digital screen showed the 30 second timer. Antony wanted to shriek, but he knew it would only waste precious time.

Moving quickly now, Antony leapt towards the broken ship. He could try to fix it, but he wouldn't be able to do it in time. Instead, he would try to use it as cover.

Everet laughed at his futile attempts to save himself from the bomb.

A, "Buzsh," signified the activation of a lightsaber behind Everet.

Everet spun around on his left heel to see who made the sound.

The Rogue One was in the air, its cargo door open. Jerl stood there, probably keeping the ship in hover. Jerl's lightsaber was the sound he heard, the green blade not at all wavering.

Everet cursed, then shot at the Jedi. He swung his lightsaber, and deflected the shot. Antony waved, then leapt towards the ship. Everet fired again, but missed. Antony fell on the metal, producing a, "screech!". Antony stumbled forward, and landed on the ground. Everet smiled and jumped. A sudden boost from somewhere flew threw him. The boost landed him exactly at the level of the ship's cargo area.

Jerl was gone now, probably piloting the ship. Antony stood there, orange lightsaber ignited. He rushed Everet, who was still recovering. Everet quickly ignited his own, and defended. Sparks flew every which way as they clashed.

"W-what do you want?" Antony asked through gritted teeth.

"To complete my mission!" With that, Everet gave a shove. Antony stumbled backward, dazed, and Everet seized the opportunity to attack. He leapt towards Antony, lightsaber aimed at his chest.

Antony threw out a hand. Everet expected it to be a futile attempt to protect himself from the fatal blow, but instead it was filled will the Force.

 _Aw, crap._ Everet thought as he flew into a wall to the left of him. The metal met Everet's shoulder first, causing him to grunt as the pain flew into the shoulder. In a steely movement, Antony ran over to him, lightsaber above his head.

"P-please no! I'll work for the rebellion, just please don't kill me!" Everet lied in a desperate tone.

"I don't believe you, but I won't kill you," Antony decided after a moment of careful thought.

Everet figured as much. Antony stole the other half of the once double-bladed lightsaber, and bound Everet in cuffs. The pair was slightly too small, so Everet couldn't move his hands much. Not saying that if they were the right size he could move them freely, but the heat from the plasma circles made him on edge.

Antony lead Everet into a room, about 5 feet on each side, and at least ten in the air. What the room was originally for, Everet nor Antony had any idea. "Take a seat," Antony motioned a hand to the ground.

"Great," Everet muttered as he awkwardly sat down on the cold metal. Antony shut the door lightly, then walked away.

"Hope you're coming back!" Everet called through the metal. He got no response.

Name: Jerl Clouse

Gender: Male

Rank: Jedi Padawan/Knight, posing as Private Second Class

Location: N/A

Mission: Aid Antony Quer

Once Antony had jumped, Jerl had scurried back to the cockpit. Clashing lightsaber sounds came from the cargo area as Jerl ran down the hallway.

Finally, he had made it to the cockpit. A single, lasting, "Buszhh" signified two lightsaber being held and pressed against each other.

Jerl had sat down, and prepared for take-off when the sound came to an end with a slight, "Keick". The sound of them being activated was still there, though.

Jerl decided to activate hyperspace right then. The path was clear, for now, and Jerl didn't see why not.

The ship charged, then flew the ship faster than the speed of light. Jerl almost flew forward in his seat, but soon the speed felt normal.

The lightsabers deactivated, creating a, "cshet" sound.

After a few quick words, Antony walked into the cockpit.

"How's it in here?" Antony asked as he sat down at the seat beside Jerl.

"Fine. Better question is what just happened to you?"

"Lightsaber duel, nothing special. Got a prisoner for the Rebellion. A strong one, too."

"Always nice," Jerl sarcastically muttered under his breath.

"Indeed," Antony replied. Jerl was surprised he heard him.

Jerl sighed, as he realized now he would have to return to the Rebellion, a Jedi instead of a soldier. Antony acknowledged the feeling with a subtle nod.

A, "beep," interrupted Jerl's apprehension.

Antony took a gander at the controls, and his face drained until it was white. "Low Fuel. Must have drained quite a bit when we were falling into the atmosphere…"

"We're gonna' crash… again!" Jerl exclaimed, bewildered that his live was, for the second time that day, endangered by a ship crash.

The windows on the ship no longer showed varrying shades of blue, instead showing a black with small specks off white.

Jerl grasped the bottom of his seat with both hands, preparing himself for the shaking. Antony excused himself from the room for a quick moment with a,"Be right back."

Antony ran out of the room, leaving Jerl alone. Alone, maybe for the last time in his live. Fear overcame him, paralyzing him. The fear was stronger than anything Jerl could counter.

The fear, for Jerl could almost feel and hear it, leaned in to his ear and whispered, "Pathetic. Can't even pilot a ship…" Fear shook it's head, and finally, Jerl realized it wasn't fear he was feeling.

It was Darth Sideous, Dark Lord of the Sith.


	8. Chapter VI: Leia's escape and the Force

Name: Leia Skywalker, legally Leia Organa

Gender: Female

Rank: Princess of Alderan

Location: Death Star

Mission: N/A

Leia gasped for strength, lying on a hard, cold bed. It had been four weeks since the Tantive was invaded by Darth Vader, but Leia couldn't know for sure.

For the past weeks, the droids would probe and torture her, seeking information. But Bail had said not to give them any information, and information she did not give.

Every time she had almost asleep, the droids poked and pained her more. She hadn't slept in weeks… time seemed to fly by, so she only assumed it had been weeks. Vader had hoped that the lack of sleep would draw info out of her. So far, he had been incorrect.

She was so tired, that a few times she almost gave away the information of the plans' location. Almost. Vader had promised her a spot beside him and Tarkin. One step below the Emperor… that would mean she would be part of the Empire, and she told herself she wouldn't.

Leia barely had the strength to do it, but the dryness in her throat forced her to clear and swallow the saliva that had built up in her mouth. Leia let out the most intricate sound she could in her current state, which translated to something of a, "Auhhhh".

The Princess knew to stay strong though. The lives of millions depended on her. If she let the plans' location fall into Vader's hands, the Rebellion would die, along with the citizens of the galaxy's freedom.

Leia tried to stay awake, knowing that if she fell into sleep, or the state before it, the droids would torture her more. But sleep felt so inviting right then, and she couldn't resist.

Her eyelids fell over her eyes, and for a second she wondered if the droids were coming at all. Sleep overcame her, and she smiled and invited it.

Leia woke up, feeling more refreshed than she ever felt before. Her throat was dry, so she swallowed. "W-what has happened?" Leia asked herself, talking for the first time in days.

Leia no longer sat in a gray, dull room, but instead a worn metal one. A warm, protective feeling fell over Leia, making her smile. Mon Mothma, one of the leaders of the Republic, walked into the room through an entrance in front of her. Leia gasped, after thinking of how she had been on the Death Star just the last time she was awake.

"Leia Organa? Is it really you?" Mon Mothma asked. Her voice sounded younger, a lot more different than before.

"Y-yeah… Mon?" Leia asked, to find Mon Mothma smile, chuckle, then turn her mouth to an," O".

"You mean Mon Mothma?" Mon asked. Leia nodded. "I'm not Mon Mothma! I'm her grandaughter, Almia Mothma."

"Grandaugher?! Mon never had any grandchildren…" Leia gasped.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"I was on the Death Star, prisoner of Vader…"

"Vader? Death Star? Honey, that was 50 years ago! The Empire died out, after they thought you did too. Two years later, we killed Palpatine. Wasn't easy, 'cause we had to destroy his transfer ship. But we did it, without the plans," Almia sighed. Leia couldn't believe it… the Empire would know she would positively dead, only then throw her into space… Leia couldn't connect the dots.

"The plans?" Leia asked, confused.

"The Death Star plans! Only you knew where they were... " Almia sighed again.

Leia stayed quiet. "By the way, where were they? We couldn't find em' anywhere," Almia said, looking hopefully at Leia.

The dots suddenly connected in Leia's mind. "You're not Mon Mothma's granddaughter! You're a dream, made by Palpatine! Get away from me!" She screamed. Leia shoved "Almia" back with her feet, making her stumble until she finally looked up at Leia.

Almia's eyes had turned yellow, the pupils losing luster. "Where are the plans, girl?!" A hoarse, old voice croaked from Almia's throat.

"I'll never tell you where! Never!" Leia screamed. Blue bolts of lightning flew forth from Almia's fingers, that were now an old, crinkly yellow, at hit Leia. Even though it was a dream, the pain was real. Leia screamed in agony, moaning, "Never! Never!" Palptine's image slowly flowed through the fake body of Almia, until Palpatine himself stood in front of her, electricity flowing through his hands, like water would a cliff. Electricity burned her skin, making her feel as if she were on fire.

The world around her rippled, and the room returned to her prison cell. Leia was disappointed, as she was wanting to go back, rather go forward, back to when the war was over. It would be so much simpler… No struggles, just life. Peace, friendliness… No Palpatine, or Vader… But she knew that such times only came with struggle, and she was in that struggle. The thoughts of a better life were pushed aside from her mind.

With her renewed strength, Leia stood up, and walked to the door of the cell, somehow knowing Palpatine was on the Death Star. She could feel the darkness radiating from a certain room, a build up of power that no one could resist.

An explosion cut off her line of thought. The door to Leia's cell burst inwards, leaving it on the ground, smoking. Leia's mind jumped up to find a conclusion, baffled how someone willing to cause such an explosion in the open on the Death Star. Especially with Palpatine on board...

A man with a bag of spheres, a determined expression on his face, and a customized blaster rifle ran into the cell, dodging Stormtrooper fire.

"Whatta' you waitin' for, hurry! Get up, comeon! We haven't got all day!" The man said, his voice flowing the words together like water. Leia could have lost herself right then, in his elegant voice, but, as he commanded, she got up and ran towards him as quickly as her dress allowed her to without tripping.

A red blaster bolt flew in through the explosion area, and hit a wall behind Leia. The man ducked his head around the corner, returned fire with his blaster, then grabbed her left forearm and yanked her away.

His hand's skin was smooth, unlike she imagined. He shot once more, then dragged her to the left of the cell.

"We're calling for backup in cell block 4B there is an armed an dangerous man-" She heard a Stormtrooper say into his com before a blaster bolt hit him in the chest, sending him sprawling on the ground. _The message is already through!_ Leia cursed internally.

Leia ran with the man as he did, running left. He quickly handed her a small blaster, and she nodded her thanks. She turned her head around, along with her right arm. She fired twice at the Stormtroopers following them.

She hit one, but missed the other. The remaining Stormtrooper shot his blaster, and it hit her rescuer in the left leg.

He cried out and fell. Leia was dragged down with him, and she ended up laying on his chest. She didn't dare to look at his face. Instead, she shot down the remaining Stormtrooper.

Just as the last one fell, ten Stormtroopers rounded the corner. She couldn't hold them off, but instead turned to her "savior."

"Where…" He gasped through moans of agony. "Are the plans? Everyone on board the Tantive died, only you know where-". Leia shot him in the head with her gun. Another ruse.

She stood up from her crouch, and shouted, "You'll have to try harder than that, Palpatine!"

Instantly, her vision once again rippled from the center outwards, and she again sat in her steel bed in the cell.

A feeling of panic washed over her. Now she was doubting everything. Anything could be a dream, made by Palpatine. From that point on, she told herself not to trust anything or anyone.

Fifteen minutes later, an interrogation droid floated into the room. Darth Vader, dark lord of the Sith, followed the droid in. His breathing, while menacing, gave Leia a sense of calm. It was a familiar sound, even if every time she heard it, it was followed with unbearable pain.

Vader looked down at her, and she could almost feel the dissatisfied feeling radiating from his conscience.

"I assume you are wondering why I let you sleep?" Vader asked, using the Force to put slight pressure on all of Leia's body. Adrenaline flowed through veins now, and Vader knew he could use it to his advantage.

"Not really," Leia answered, trying to make her tone of voice sound like Vader was the most disgusting, rotten, self centered being in the galaxy. In her mind, she wasn't acting.

"Oh?"

"I got Palpatine's dreams. They don't scare me. You don't scare me."

"I find your overconfidence amusing."

Leia paused for a moment before answering, "I find your lack of limbs amusing."

The pressure increased around her neck, and she felt her throat constrict. "Shall we move on to the main event of my coming?"

"I suppose."

"Droid!" Vader boomed, summoning the interrogator droid.

" _Yes sir?_ " The droid responded, floating over to him.

Vader pointed a finger at Leia. "Do what you must."

" _With pleasure,_ " The droid lowered to Leia height.

"Where are the plans?" Vader asked, starting the ritual.

Per usual, Leia responded with, "I'll never tell you where."

"So be it. Droid?" Vader waved his hand at the interrogator droid. It poked her with a serum, and even more adrenaline started to pump through her veins.

Soon after, pain, undescribable pain, pressed down on her, like someone was stabbing her with 100 knives in each organ, skin cell, or drop of blood she possessed.

The plans. The stolen Death Star plans, which many died to bring it to the Rebellion, caused this. Vader knew if he found the plans, he wouldn't have to worry about the Rebels having them. Also, whatever droid had them, they would reveal the Rebel Base location, through force or cooperation Vader didn't care.

"Where are the plans? The base? Tell me, and this pain will never have to be brought down on you again. Give in, for there is no sense in trying to resist the inevitable," Vader said.

"My life and pains are," she gasped between screams, "Less important than the safety of the Rebellion!"

"Are they now?" Vader paused and thought. "My master wishes to speak with you."

"Droid, stop the pain. I want her lively during the meeting."

The pain subsided, and Leia gasped for breath.

A meeting with Palpatine?

Name: Antony Quer

Gender: Male

Rank: Sergeant

Mission: N/A

The ship dropped out of space, into the atmosphere of the planet beneath them. It wasn't a fast transition, but it was unstoppable. The ship shuddered as it drew nearer.

Acting quickly now, Antony ran through the doorway out of the cockpit. Down the hallway he flew, a desperate tone settling over him. Everet couldn't escape… The Rebellion's life depended on him.

Antony drew the orange lightsaber from his belt, and ignited the blade. Crackles flew from the plasma, illuminating a larger section of the rooms than normal.

Holding it close to his chest, he slowly walked over to Everet's room. A blue lightsaber blade stabbed through the door, peeling at the metal. A hole was carved through the door. Everet stood there, Anakin's blue lightsaber in hand. Every rebel knew what it looked like, because they knew it signified Anakin before the Dark Side and the Empire. Antony gasped, wondering how it fell into the hands of Everet.

With a growl, he leapt at him, orange blade creating a triangle, the tip of the triangle being the base of the blade.

Everet swung Anakin's lightsaber to protect himself. Antony pressed his weight against the blades, shoving Everet into a bent position.

With one, "Ya!", Everet pushed upwards. Antony flew backwards onto the ground. Anakin's lightsaber swung up with Antony, eventually pressing down. Grunting, Antony let his feet beneath him stop supporting his weight.

Time, like it always had during an important moment in his life, slowed as Antony fell. He very well knew that his life depended on this movement, the simple act of falling. Everet, his facial expression unchanging, kept his lightsaber coming down.

Time came back to it's normal speed, and Antony hit the ground. He knew he should get up, avoid the blow, but he felt something.

He felt a presence. A presence stronger than he had ever felt before, for he could always feel others around him, but this was different.

It was like no other creature, human or otherwise, that he had encountered. It was as if he could feel the waves crashing down onto the beaches of Canto Bight. As if he could feel the very galaxy around him summed up into one being, the emotions of the worlds in it describing it. It was of no race, of that he was certain, for no creature could be as powerful as this one was.

Antony could not subdue, or otherwise grasp, the conscience. It was too great. The galaxy itself stood before his mind's eyes.

Antony concluded, for it could be nothing else, it was The Force. It was a being, but not.

Antony, as many Jedi before him, accepted it. He allowed it to flow through him, basking in its glory.

He realized, soon after accepting it, that was the feeling he had felt back on Coruscant. The power that was the reason he lived at that moment, was there.

The Force, the wave, manipulated Antony as its medium. But he did the same, using it for his own.

He opened his eyes, for he had been closing them tight, and saw light. Light, like none other. At first he thought it was a gift of the Force, before realizing it was his lightsaber.

A slight push from the soles of his feet moved him out of the way from the lightsaber blow Everet would have killed him with.

With a new weapon in his arsenal, he jumped up, and looked Everet in his dumbfounded face.


	9. Chapter VII: Settling Down

Name: Antony Quer

Gender: Male

Rank: Sergeant

Mission: N/A

Location: Unknown Planet

Antony allowed a quick smile, restraining himself from chuckling, then swung his lightsaber, which had been to the right of of his corresponding hip, up to his left shoulder. As he did this, he stepped forward toward Everet.

The sound of his footsteps sounded unusually loud, and he only then realized it was dead silent, save the crackle of his lightsaber and the buzz of Everet's.

No shuddering, rocking, or otherwise movement plagued the ship. _Have we stopped?_ Antony asked himself.

Everet, snapping back into reality, raised his blue lightsaber, and shortened the distance between them. Antony, without knowing it, swung his lightsaber down from his left shoulder to Everet's left hip. A sudden reaction, instinct almost, forced him to swing his arm. Antony was surprised, but he had no time to ponder it.

With the speed of a droid, Everet defended himself by flipping his lightsaber quickly down towards where Antony hoped to make contact. The two blades met, and for a second Antony believed he would hold the position for a few seconds.

Instead, Everet counter-attacked, by shoving Antony. During the same seconds, Everet had swung his right leg to hit Antony's left to send him on the ground. While it was a cheap move, it was necessary.

Antony, who was brutally unprepared for either attack, acted upon instinct once again. He jumped slightly backwards, the landing, once again, shot the sound of creaking metal around the room, like a fly.

Everet's foot missed, and his lightsaber counter sent him outstretched. Perfect for Antony's next blow.

From Everet's left hip, Antony swung his lightsaber up to Everet's right shoulder, hoping to amputate his right arm.

Unfortunately for Antony, Everet saw this, and fell on his right leg, avoiding the blow.

Antony, now gritting his teeth in frustration. Bringing the hilt up to his shoulder, he hacked down on Everet. Everet, still in his leaned position, brought his lightsaber up to his waist. The two collided, making Antony push harder against the blade.

Everet's arm started to bend in a funny way, making him yelp. Desperate, he took his index finger off of the button that activated the blade, and it disappeared. Without anything to push down on, Antony fell forward.

Antony hit the ground, dazed and irated. Lashing out with his Force, he send a shockwave through the room. It hit Everet smack dab in the chest. He flew backward, into a wall, and gasped. His feet never touched the ground.

When he made impact with the wall, a muffled scream came from within. Antony, confused, stumbled to get up.

Everet stepped sideways from the space he had hit the wall, and recovered. The metal plate that had covered the inner electronics fell down.

Instead of wiring, Antony saw a girl. Brown hair, rich blue eyes, and a terrified expression were what caught Antony's eye.

"What the-" Antony asked, confused beyond his wits.

Jerl, ignited lightsaber in hand, ran through the doorway. Auspa stepped out of the wall, then gracefully leapt to the left, away from Everet.

Everet, with his thoughts back in order, raised Anakin's lightsaber, so the bottom of the hilt reached his crotch. The blade reached his neck, from a safe distance.

"Auspa, sweetie, come over here," Jerl said, and pulled her to him with the Force, just barely missing Antony's lightsaber.

She screamed, of course, but Antony didn't pay it any mind. He stared Everet down, looking for ways his lightsaber could reach his flesh.

Antony then had another idea. He slowly walked to the left, keeping the tip of his blade facing Everet at all times.

Slowly, but surely, Antony walked towards the room Everet had been previously detained in.

Everet's eyes widen when Antony put his lightsaber down, just for a second. Seeing his oppurtunity, he rushed Antony.

Jerl held Auspa tight as he jumped backwards into the doorway, avoiding Everet's lightsaber by a hair. She buried her head in in his shoulder.

Antony, not one to be easily defeated, used the Force to leap to his left. Everet rushed empty space, and thus fell through the doorway.

Using the Force, Antony took Anakin's lightsaber, and any other weapon or tool that could be used for escape. This included a sack of detonators and imploders, the gun he used on Coruscant, and a simply designed lightsaber.

Everet looked back, and with the slightest ounce of midichlorians he contained, drew his blaster unto him. With a single shot, he destroyed Antony's yellow lightsaber.

Enraged, Antony took the lightsaber back, and slammed the door. He locked it by jamming the open system, which now produced smoke due to Antony's blaster.

Adrenaline stopped pumping through his veins, and natural sense came over Antony. His arms and legs burned from the overexertion, and Antony's vision flickered.

Afraid for his life, he leaned up against a wall, and blacked out soon after.

Antony came to hours later. He opened his eyes, before realizing they were against the ground.

He sat up, aching all over. He saw Jerl next to Auspa, in front of a fire. They had their backs to him, so they didn't notice him.

When he tried to speak, Antony realized his throat was dry. After swallowing his saliva, he tried to talk.

"J-Jerl… W-what wapened?" He managed to croak out.

Turning his head slightly, Jerl said, "We crashed. We're on some garbage planet."

Antony nodded slowly. "Pr-provisions?'

"Not much. Rations worth… four days max for each of us," Jerl grimaced.

"We'll have to find… the necessities… somehow," Auspa whispered loud enough for Antony to hear.

A moment of silence fell other the group. They sat there, quietly, desperately, pondering ways of surviving on the planet.

Antony must have fallen asleep, because he woke up lying on the cold, battle-damaged metal. The roar of the fire he had fallen asleep to, to which he had grown accustomed, had left the room feeling awfully empty.

Groggy but refreshed, Antony groaned as he sat up. His body ached from his lightsaber battles the day before.

A wave of panic washed over Antony, as he realized he was alone. A slight Force push sent him up on his feet, pushing his mind into the aware state.

The wood from the fire still sat on the ground, charred.

"Jerl!" He shouted.

No response.

Antony panicked. Where would Jerl go without letting him know?

"Jerl!" He called again. A muffled beep from the cockpit caught his attention.

Antony stumbled through the doorway into the cockpit, to find Auspa sleeping in the pilot's chair. Her hair was thrown across the back of the chair, occasionally shining in the sun.

Her eyes were half open, an opened mouth were on her face. The vacuum shield was occupied with an image of Jerl, saying, "... and make sure the prisoner doesn't get out!"

Auspa, knowing she hadn't seen the entirety of the video, mumbled, "Restart video."

Antony didn't object and let the recording play.

"Auspa, Antony, if you're wondering where I am, I went out into the garbage heaps to see if I can salvage anything useful. I'll be back by 12, Galactic Standard Time. And make sure the prisoner doesn't get out!" The screen went blank, and retracted.

"Oh," Auspa mumbled.

"Oh indeed," Antony nodded. The time was 11:47, GST. Only 13 minutes until Jerl said he would return.

Auspa stood up, and sighed.

"So how did you meet Jerl?"

13 standard minutes later, Jerl, exhausted and running for his life, burst into the storage bay. He slammed the door down with the Force, and collapsed on the ground.

A large animal slammed against the door, shaking Antony to the bones. In Jerl's hands were two large bags, each containing god knows what.

Antony threw the animal with the Force down, and it whimpered away.

"Don't ask…" Jerl gasped.

Half a standard hour later, Jerl started his story. "It was muddy, dirty, and full of metal and droid parts. I started to grab useful junk, like droid parts. I got these" And dumped out a a bag. Astromech parts littered the ground as the Jerl emptied the bag's contents.

"Think either one of you could make this?" Jerl quietly chuckled. Instantly, Antony remembered his training.

"I can," Auspa and Jerl looked over at Antony with a twisted expression.

"I can do build it. My training covered this, it's required for sergeants," Antony explained.

"Well," Jerl poured the pile into his hands. "Git er' done."

Soon enough, an astromech droid stood in front of it. It's entire body was blue, which contrasted to it's green right leg. It's left leg was a deep shade of muddy purple. It's head was red, with minor dirt or grime.

Antony sat behind the droid, tinkering with it's memory and auditory sensors. Just as he thought he would never find it, Antony's fingers grasped the wire that could connect the two. He did, and whooped with joy.

The power switch seemingly flipped itself as Antony shut the panel on the back.

The droid booted up, and whistled a series of notes. Technically, it was GN-F4, but Antony had another name.

"I think I'll call you… Gene."

A high, long whistle screeched from Gene's head. Antony put a hand on Gene's head and smiled proudly.

Name: Leia Skywalker, legally Leia Organa

Gender: Female

Rank: Princess of Alderan

Location: The Death Star

Mission: N/A

Leia hopelessly lie in the arms of her stormtrooper guards. Her head was angled down, but she could still hear Vader's ever-present rasp of a breath. Fear invaded her conscious. They had traveled down a few corridors, but to Leia it felt like a million years.

The constant, rhythmic beat of stormtrooper steps rang at the back of her mind, vaguely familiar.

"I feel your fear. Your fear of meeting the Emperor grows stronger by the second. Do not be. It is a gift he has let you live as long as he has, besides the information you know. He obviously has a purpose for you." Vader boomed. He was trying to get into her mind, manipulate her thoughts to his. She said nothing in return.

A few turns later, they arrived at an elevator. One of the stormtroopers pulled out a card with numbers scratched on it. He entered in the code, and the elevator opened. Vader stood patiently behind the group as they dragged Leia into the elevator. He then stepped in beside them.

The smaller space amplified Vader's breathing. She could almost feel the snake of Vader's hate crawling into her mind.

The elevator stopped. Leia's heart jumped. The doors slid open revealing the Emperor's throne room. The stormtroopers handed Leia to the royal guards that waited near the entrance.

The strong, steely grasp of the guard's hand was different from the stormtroopers. They seemed more confident, tighter than the troopers'. They stood Leia on her feet and forced her to stumble towards the Emperor.

"Welcome. Long have I awaited the day I would see my apprentice's daughter, who escaped my grasp, long ago. Welcome, Leia Skywalker." Came the Emperor's cruel, empty croak of a voice deep within.

Leia's sight slowly crept towards Vader; Her father. All along had she hated, and feared her father. The very man who brought her into the world tortured her for the past weeks. Sympathy washed over her, for the briefest of seconds, for Vader. It fanished when she recalled all the terrible deeds he willingly committed.

"Guards," They shifted their gazes towards Palpatine. "Leave us."

They simply turned around and walked back into the room from which Leia had just came.

"And the son, Lord Vader?" Palpatine asked his apprentice.

"Reports from," Vader paused, as if to grimace under his mask, "Tatooine, have sighted a moisture farmer boy by the name of Skywalker killed in a trooper attack to their home. I believe it was, my son, sir." Vader said the last part quietly.

"Ah… The mighty blood of the Skywalker family falls to you, Leia Skywalker. I feel the Force kindling deep in you. The daughter of the feared Darth Vader has the power to inherit her father's power," Palpatine finished expectantly, like he wanted her to answer.

"I would never inherit my father's terrible titles," Leia responded, knowing full well his titles and commitments.

"Ah, but you will, for you see, the power of the Dark Side is one not easily, if at all, resisted," Palpatine croaked.

To that, Leia had no answer. "What will you do with me?" She asked, after a moment of silence.

"You will be trained as a sith, in your father's place. You possess the power and strength of your father before he was fatally wounded, something I long to see again." Palpatine stated.

Vader looked up to Palpatine, as if to say, "You betrayed me."

"But," Palpatine responded to Vader's silent question, "She must be taught how to use the Force before she begins any Sith training. Lord Vader will train you in the Force, until further notice."

Vader returned his glare back down. He only had a short time to live beyond that moment, for the second Leia gained access to the Force, her father would die.

Something in her told her that she needed to save her father, but why? He was evil, the same Darth Vader that gleefully destroyed and killed entire villages to find Jedi. The same Darth Vader who killed younglings, fought his own master, and ruled the empire away from Palpatine's hand.

But it still told her, "He has hope, he has hope."


	10. Chapter VIII: Everets change, Morphis

Name: Antony Quer

Gender: Male

Rank: Sergeant

Location: Dantooine

Mission: Kill Everet GaJar

Gene whistled happily for a few seconds before Antony realized it was using Morse Code. _Most droids without vocabulators speak Morse_ , Antony cursed.

Antony stood from his crouch. He walked over to the main area. Jerl sat reassuring Auspa about everything that had happened. When he walked in, Jerl lifted his head to gaze at Antony.

"How'd it go?"He asked, oddly grim. A few beeps shot from Gene's head dome, signaling his presence.

"Fine, if you ask Gene," Antony grinned.

"Gene?"

"I call him Gene. His real name is 'GN-F4', but I liked this better," Antony explained. Gene screeched a long, high whistle.

"Got any spare vocabulators?" Antony asked, finally getting to the point that he came into the room for.

'Actually," Jerl dug through the pile, "no, but I have this."

A holopad was in Jerl's emptiness of the 'pad made Antony believe it was turned off, but the blinking cursor said otherwise.

Gene beeped high and quickly, then uttered a series of different pitched bloops.

The holopad cursor moved, as words appeared on the screen. Jerl tapped a button in the corner of the screen.

"Oh!" A robotic voice translated into Basic. "I see! It's a sensor translator. I've seen these in different droids when I was a droid of the Republic!"

Antony was shocked. "Was that you, Gene?"

Gene beeped again, and the 'pad translated, "Yes, of course! Who else is speaking Morse?"

Antony slowly shook his head. "I-I don't know! Just surprising!"

Silence.

"Where's Everet?" Auspa spoke up.

"He should still be in the room, what do you mean?" Antony responded.

"I just-" Auspa started, but was cut off by an explosion.

Everet summoned a lightsaber from his bag, and ignited the blade. The blue bladed buzzed into existence.

Antony's Force-enhanced reflexes had forced him to summon a lightsaber to his hand as well. A green blade ignited from the hilt, in front of Antony's face.

While Antony never thought about his facial expression, Jerl did. Hate, destruction, and negative thoughts whirled inside his head. From the emotions, Antony drew power.

Jerl's mouth opened, but no words came forth. He couldn't help Antony in his moment of blind rage.

Antony screamed and rushed Everet. Everet stood fast, until Antony drew within a meter. He then leaped in to the air, then landed behind Antony.

Antony stopped, and spun around, but Jerl was already grabbing his lightsaber and giving chase to Everet. Everet ran a good 30 meters before Jerl caught up with him.

Everet swung his lightsaber, which was held in a horizontal position, towards Jerl's chest. Jerl blocked, then attempted to counter attack.

Everet then kicked Jerl in the stomach. Jerl doubled over, then got hit on the head by the butt of Everet's lightsaber.

Jerl lifeless body fell to the ground as Antony ran up to Everet, crazed expression on face and a simple, green lightsaber in his left hand.

Everet raised his lightsaber into a vertical position, then blocked Antony's attack. He brought his down on Antony, while Antony recovered from the running. Antony's body seemingly flung itself to the side, as if something else was controlling him.

Antony panted for breath, but still stabbed at Everet. Everet blocked with a down motion, then came up on Antony's wrist. Antony jerked his hand back, and the blue lightsaber destroyed his green one.

The buzz of the plasma weapon ceased as Everet brought his hand through nothing. Everet, lightsaber in the air near his head, turned and kicked Antony with the heel of his boot. Antony went flying, and landed motionless a few meters away, just like Jerl.

Name: Everet GaJar

Gender: Male

Rank: Imperial Mercenary

Location: Dantooine

Mission: N/A

Everet gasped for breath, then recovered. He let the blade of blue plasma go back into the hilt, and crouched. His knees hurt like all hell, but he didn't care. All he could think about was the 200,000 credits he had lost for being a fool under Darth Vader.

Everet's rage grew, until the next thing he knew he was running back to the ship. He knew what he needed to do. The hard dirt slapped against his boots, but he paid it no mind. He could only think about the life-changing decision he was about to make.

Once he arrived, he saw a frightened girl peering at his bag of lightsabers, which there was many inside. She spotted him, and plucked one out.

"Wait, don't-" Everet started, but she pressed the ignite button.

Blue plasma shot out of the hilt, and buzzed light into the room. "S-stay back!" She shouted, trembling.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you. I need some help with your friends. I've switched sides," Everet said. When she didn't appear convinced, he added, "Look, if I was still with the Empire, I would have killed you already," She kept the lightsaber, but followed him.

He ran with Auspa, whose name he had learned when he asked, to the site of the combat. The two bodies lie on the ground the same way Everet left them.

They picked up and dragged the bodies to the ship, where they were set in bacta tanks. The liquid started it's work, and Everet could see the results. The two stood there for a few seconds, just staring at the tanks.

"So why... did you, change sides?" Auspa nervously asked, her head turned towards the tank containing Jerl.

"Darth Vader."

"Oh," She said, like understood what he was, or what he did.

Antony's eyes shot open a few minutes later, and panic encompassed them. His left hand moved towards the oxygen mask he wore, as if he was going to take it off.

Once he realized what would happen if he took the mask off, Antony released a shock wave of Force. It destroyed his bacta tank, and the wires he was connected to.

His clothes flew to him, and wrapped around his wet body. The insides were covered with liquid resistant material, so he paid it no mind.

"Wait! He's on our side now!" Auspa shouted when Antony was preparing to leap at Everet. Antony hesitated, but leaped anyway. Everet threw his hands up to protect himself.

Antony landed, and Auspa screamed, "Stop!"

Antony cringed as the scream of bloody murder hit his eardrums. Everet used this opportunity to shove him off, and jump up. Antony gritted his teeth and glared at Auspa.

"He's on our side! He's not trying to kill you!" She reasoned.

"I would have already killed her and stabbed you had I been on the Empire's side," Everet used the same statement he had for Auspa on Antony.

Antony hesitated, and relaxed his muscles. "Seriously?"

"Again, you'd be dead."

Antony thought it over for a minute, then mumbled, "Fine."

"Good. I assume you're recovered, if you're out fighting already?" Everet asked.

"Yeah, I feel great actually," Antony admitted. He was getting along with Everet just as fine as Jerl, like they'd been friends for the longest time. It was the oddest feeling.

"I should tell the High Command about you..." Antony thought out loud.

"Yes, you probably should," Everet was studying Jerl in his bacta tank.

"So what's up with this guy? Lightsaber, Force abilities... Vader told me every Jedi had either been killed or degraded their title so low, they couldn't even be classified as a Jedi," Everet asked after a few moments of studying and thinking.

Antony chuckled, then said, "I honestly don't know, either. He was a regular troop, and suddenly he's a Jedi," Antony shrugged. "I dunno."

"Hmm... Maybe I'm not the only one you should be telling the Command about?" Everet giggled. Auspa turned to him and gave him a look, as if to say, "Really?"

"Sorry," Everet sighed. He hadn't been content with life until he met these people, whatever you would call a group containing a semi-Gray Jedi, a Force-using makeshift Jedi, and a slave girl from Dantooine.

Antony put a hand to his head. "Something wrong?" Everet asked.

"No, just... bacta liquid... I think..." Antony groaned. "I'm going to lie down..." Both Auspa and Everet nodded.

Antony stumbled off, towards the cargo area. Everet was suspicious, but it might ruin the new-found trust between the two to go investigate. So, Everet stayed put.

Auspa turned towards Everet so subtly, the only reason Everet saw it was because he was expecting it. Had he not, he might not have seen her eyes.

The eyes glared at him, evaluating every aspect of him. They were a sea of knowledge, beauty, strength, and unfortunate circumstances. Everet could see why, now, Jerl took her with him.

Everet, out of the corner of his eye, looked back. They stared at each other for a while, until Everet could stand it no longer.

He turned, and faced Auspa full on. She turned away, quickly, to stare at Jerl. Everet fought for her attention, subtly and quietly, but he could not catch it, no matter how hard he tried.

Everet gave up after 5 standard galactic minutes. He slowly walked upstairs.

He heard voices, and saw a blue light emitting from the room from which he had been kept.

"-And don't do anything else, until you bring him here! Do you hear me, sergeant?" A voice said from the room. It was thick, heavily accented. Everet realized it must have been Admiral Ackbar.

"Yes, sir. And the Jedi?" Antony responded.

"Bring him here. He will be punished and questioned," Everet crept towards the door, and peered his head in.

"Punished, sir?" Antony asked.

"Yes," A female voice responded. The hologram, that had previously shown Admiral Ackbar in a chair, now showed Mon Mothma standing next to Admiral Ackbar. "With charges of deception of the Rebel Alliance, Overridden Profile, and Possession of an Unauthorized weapon." The words faded into the air, leaving it dead quiet.

"Please," Antony responded, adjusting his collar, "That won't be necessary... I'll have you know, Jerl saved my life on more than one occasion. Without possessing an "Unauthorized Weapon", I wouldn't be here right now."

"We can't have the troops thinking they can evade charges for doing good with them... Command relies on discipline, and without discipline, the Rebel Alliance would be no more than a weak, unsupplied, hopeless annoyance to the Empire. No, this is necessary, sergeant," Mothma replied. Everet knew Antony's thoughts on it, as they were the same. He knew it.

Antony slowly lowered his head, and said, "Yes, sir," with defeat in his voice.

"You are dismissed, sergeant," Ackbar commanded, and ended the transmission.

Everet took his head out of the room, and leaned on the wall beside the doorway.

"I know you're there, Everet. Just come in," Antony sighed.

Everet slipped inside, and saw Antony leaned against the wall. "Hi," Antony waved sarcastically.

"I heard what'll happen to Jerl," Everet sighed.

"Yeah, I saw you," Antony breathed heavily. "I suppose you want to know what will happen to you?"

"Yeah..." Everet admitted.

"You'll be punished for kill 24 troops, and then used as a rebellion trooper," Antony's eyes flicked down.

"Oh," Everet wasn't surprised. "What's the sentence?"

"24 lashes with a low-tuned light-whip," Antony looked down subtly.

"Where'd they get a light-whip?" Everet asked, knowing how rare they were.

"You. Once I told them what you had, they suggested that. Before they used real whips," Antony gave a sad smile. He looked exhausted.

"I'm sorry for... Ya' know..." Everet sighed.

"Yeah... It's alright. But now you're officially a part of the Rebel Alliance," Antony said, more for himself than Everet.

"Yeah..." While they sat there, lost in thought of the future, the galaxy was going to meet a new foe, stronger than any droid like it.

Name: Grand Moff Tarkin

Gender: Male

Rank: Grand Moff

Location: Death Star

Mission: N/A

While waiting for Princess Leia of Alderan's meeting with the Emperor to end, Tarkin noticed a transmission from an unknown caller.

As he expected, one of the officers answered. A rugged man stood in front of the transmitter, deep bags under his eyes.

"Please, give me audience with the highest commanding officer available," The man said.

"State your business!" The officer barked.

"Classified."

"We won't-" The officer started.

"Give the transmitter to me," Tarkin commanded harshly.

"Y-yes, sir. I assume you heard-"

"Yes! Hush now!"

Tarkin looked at the man. "What do you want, Doctor Nycolai Kinesworthy?"

"I have finished him. Early. All he needs to be is trained and equipped," The man said proudly through his beard.

"What have you named him?"

"N-K Necrosis, but I assume you want a new name?"

Tarkin thought it over for a minute. "With the approval of Vader and the Emperor," Tarkin smiled coldly. "We name him Commannder Morphis."


End file.
